Archive for the ‘Crosley Farm-O-Road’ tag

Introduced in 1958, the Crofton Bug followed in the footsteps of the remarkably similar Crosley Farm-O-Road on which it was based. Somewhere between 200 and 250 Bugs were built in San Diego, California, from 1958 until around 1963, and it isn’t clear how many of these 3/4-scale Jeeps survive today. This weekend, a restored and modernized Crofton Bug will cross the auction stage in Newport Beach, giving bidders the opportunity to take home a truly unique SUV, potentially in the bed of a contemporary pickup.

Crosley’s Farm-O-Road was developed as a multi-purpose vehicle, originally targeted to farmers for whom buying a tractor and an automobile would have been a financial burden. Built for just two years before Crosley’s 1952 demise, the Farm-O-Road was even offered in fire apparatus trim, billed as ideal for reaching locations (indoors or out) where larger vehicles could not. Precise production numbers are lacking, but less than 600 Farm-O-Roads were built before Crosley was absorbed by General Tire & Rubber, and later, Aerojet.

The company would go through one more owner, Fageol, before the Crofton Marine Engine Company of California entered the picture. Buying the rights to the Crosley engine from Fageol, W.B. Crofton began to see the possibilities for a compact utility vehicle like the Farm-O-Road. Stretching the vehicle’s length from 91.5 inches to 105 inches (but retaining a 63-inch wheelbase) and fitting a 35-horsepower Crosley-derived 44-cu.in. four, Crofton launched its Bug in late 1958, targeted to recreational and commercial users alike.

At first, the Bug came only in high-visibility yellow, but few complained about its wide range of available accessories. Those seeking utility could opt for an electric winch, a snow plow, a Powr-Lok differential, dual rear wheels, or a compound transmission that converted the standard three-speed manual to a six-speed (with two reverse gears). An available vinyl cab made the Bug weather resistant, optional high-back seats made it more comfortable and a tow bar allowed users to haul the 1,100-pound Bug behind a car or pickup, ideal for covering long distances between home and trail.

Those wanting more power could even opt for a 53-cu.in. Crosley CIBA-derived engine that produced 45 horsepower, but the ultimate Crofton Bug came in the form of the Brawny Bug. For $1,800, or $450 more than a standard Bug, the Brawny Bug delivered oversize floatation or mud tires, the compound transmission, a set of skid plates, and the Powr-Lok differential to ensure that the rear wheels delivered grip regardless of the surface. Like the Farm-O-Road, the Bug wasn’t offered in a four-wheel-drive variant.

Crofton Bugs were built to order, and the company reportedly manufactured units even after production officially ended, at least until the parts supply was depleted. Some sources cite a build quantity of 200, while others claim that 250 examples were constructed, but all agree that this is the high estimate. Few were preserved for posterity, making this Crofton Bug a relatively rare find at auction.

Purists may object to its updated Nissan engine (and particularly to its Crofton script on the valve cover), or to its modern automatic transmission, but the drivetrain upgrades arguably make the Bug a more usable vehicle in the modern world. Described in the catalog as a 1958 model, the Bug wears the cross-hatched grille of a later model; these issues aside, the restoration appears nice enough for the show-and-shine circuit, where the Bug will undoubtedly draw crowds of curious onlookers, and potentially, new Crofton and Crosley fans.

The Crofton Bug is set to cross the block on Saturday, June 6. For more information on the Newport Beach sale, visit RussoAndSteele.com.

While plenty of Crosley-based “fire trucks” lugged kids around amusement parks during the 1950s, none of them actually, you know, fought fires. Crosley did, however, build one tiny fire engine prototype in 1950, and that Farm-O-Road-based firefighter last month not only debuted its fresh restoration to the public, but also took the top award at the Crosley Automobile Club’s annual meet.

Whether it actually fought any fires is unknown, but at least Crosley built the fire engine to serve that specific purpose. According to owner Robert Chase of Sacramento, the 1950 Farm-O-Road Fire Fighter – as Crosley called it in a promotional flyer – came down the Crosley assembly line as one of the earliest Farm-O-Roads, the seventh production Farm-O-Road, in fact. As such, it would have been destined for dual use as a small farm tractor and a light road-going pickup, as Crosley intended the Farm-O-Road. However, Crosley engineers pulled it from the assembly line for a much different use.

“Without a doubt, the Crosley Farm-O-Road ‘Fire Fighter’ is one of the most important developments in fire fighting equipment in recent years,” Crosley announced in a flyer for the Fire Fighter. “It’s perfect for airports, loading docks, warehouses, factories, chemical plants, lumber yards – for any industry where there is danger of fire. Because of its amazing speed, it can reach the fire within moments after the alarm is sounded. Because of its small size, it can actually travel through narrow corridors and halls of buildings.”

Vintage photos courtesy Robert Chase.

The flyer even claimed that its light weight permitted it to ride freight elevators to get to fires. To fight the fires, the Crosley engineers equipped it with an 80-gallon water tank, 20 gallon-per-minute PTO-operated Bean high-pressure water pump, 200 feet of 1/2-inch high-pressure hose, two 20-pound dry chemical extinguishers, and two five-gallon water extinguishers.

“It’s just a giant fire extinguisher, really,” Chase said.

Promotional photos show the Fire Fighter in a few different configurations, including one with a folding canvas soft-top, and another with a rack for hauling ladders, but Chase said that all the promotional photos were taken using the same Farm-O-Road. Crosley ended up not putting the Fire Fighter into production, but it did hold onto the prototype for a couple of years – possibly putting it to use in the Crosley factory – until the company ended automobile production in 1952 and sold that business to General Tire. Along with the rights to the Crosley four-cylinder engine, it appears Crosley threw the Fire Fighter prototype into the deal, and General Tire shipped the Fire Fighter to its Aerojet rocket plant in Sacramento, California, where it remained in service until 1969, when it was given to Aerojet’s fire chief, Robert Murphy, as a retirement gift.

According to Chase, Murphy died soon after his retirement, so his family put the Fire Fighter up for sale not long after. Chase, at the time a member of the Arden Fire Protection District, which is now the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Protection District, found out about the Fire Fighter and bought it in 1971 for fire prevention and educational use. “We’d take it to the malls, take it to the musters, run it in parades,” Chase said. “But as the department grew, it went into storage and didn’t get used as much.” It wasn’t until a few years back, when Chase retired, that he pulled it out of storage and began a three-and-a-half-year restoration of the Fire Fighter.

That restoration culminated last month in a cross-country road trip to Wauseon, Ohio, the site of the Crosley Automobile Club’s annual national meet, which this year featured Crosley commercial vehicles. The Fire Fighter not only won first in the Commercial Vehicles class, it also took the Longest Distance Towed to the nationals award and the Favorite Exhibit of the Show award, a new award at the nationals this year intended to serve as a sort of best of show award. According to Crosley Automobile Club president David Anspach, all awards at the Crosley nationals are determined by people’s choice.

“It was always one of the goals with this restoration to take the Fire Fighter to Wauseon,” Chase said. “But it was quite a surprise to win those awards.”

Next year’s Crosley nationals will take place July 10-13 in Wauseon. For more photos of this year’s Crosley nationals, visit CrosleyAutoClub.com.